KILSYTH Cobras sent a chilling message to the rest of the Big V Youth Championship Men’s competition with a comprehensive 20-point win over the only other previously undefeated side Frankston Blues in Round 5 on Sunday afternoon.

Both teams headed into the match with unblemished 6-0 records in what was touted as the match of the year to-date. Frankston was the best offensive team and Kilsyth the top defensive side – and by far – which made for a tantalising contest.

Despite the build-up to the match, Frankston was without star shooter Lachlan Kanngiesser who was instead warming the bench for the Blues in their NBL1 South Men’s clash against Keilor Thunder. That left a hole in the Blues’ offence and Kilsyth utilised the best defence in the league to limit Frankston to just 11 points in the first quarter.

The Cobras raced out to an eight-point buffer at quarter time, and by half-time that lead had doubled. While touted as match of the season, it turned out to be a fizzer with the Cobras piling on 67-40 across the first three quarters and put the game to bed with a quarter to play. To Frankston’s credit, the Blues did put up a fight in the final term as rotations kicked in, though the 20-13 quarter mattered little in the 60-80 loss.

The evenness of the Kilsyth attack was once again on display with four players scoring double-digits and being able to do it all from inside or outside the arc. The pick of the all-round performance was perhaps Brody Hull who shot four of seven from the field to finish with 12 points, while pulling in eight rebounds. Macauley Haig (11 points, nine rebounds) was equally important off the boards, while Nicholas Day (13 points) and Isaac Ghosn (13 points) both contributed on the scoreboard.

Frankston had a two-pronged attack with skipper Jesse Lans standing up for 14 points, three rebounds and three assists in the loss, while Nicholas Beattie managed 12 points, three rebounds, a steal and a block across 23 minutes. However the standout Blue was Heath Tenner coming off the bench to score eight points, 11 rebounds, four steals and four blocks in 25 and a half minutes.

In other results, Knox Raiders moved up to a 6-1 record alongside Frankston with wins over Geelong United and Eltham Wildcats, while Keilor Thunder made it four wins on the bounce with a one-point thriller over Dandenong Rangers. In other results, Casey Cavaliers smashed Keysborough Cougars in a rare away win for the round, while also accounting for Sandringham Sabres the day before. The Sabres knocked off Waverley on Sunday, while Hume City Broncos and Nunawading Spectres also not up victories.

ROUND 5: